AN INTRODUCTION TO MARCUS SHADOWBLADE
by Elphie Jnr
Summary: This is a basic introduction to the main character that will be featured in my stories. If you like it and find it interesting, please comment!
1. Chapter 1

I'm a Half-blood but my mum (the witch) didn't tell my dad she was magical. Therefore, I grew up like a Muggle. That all changed the day I turned 11. When my letter came, it came during the night by owl through my mum's window. I didn't know of course but my mum was beside herself! She woke me up as soon as she got her hands on my letter, which was around 3 in the morning, and sat me down and told all about how she was a witch and how I was one too. I was so excited, but at first I didn't believe her. I asked mum to prove it and she made the dresser levitate before my very eyes. The next day, while my three siblings were at school, we went to Diagon Alley and bought all my school supplies. We decided to keep everything a secret from my sister and brothers so I had to hide my trunk in a locked drawer, using an undetectable extension charm. I counted down the days until I would be sent off to Hogwarts. My mum had been to Hogwarts when she was younger and told me all about it. She was in Gryffindor, but didn't pressure me as to what house I would be in. The Sorting Hat nearly put me in Gryffindor, but thought better of it and put me in Slytherin. I wrote to my mum to tell her, and she said it was fine. I'm so excited to finally be here at Hogwarts!


	2. Chapter 2

"Bye Marcus, see you later, I'll write as soon as I can OK?"

These are the last words I hear before the Hogwarts express rounds a bend in the track, and my single hardworking mother disappears from my sight. I pull my hand back in through the window, my arm now tired from waving. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I continue down the train, looking for a spare compartment. After passing half a dozen compartments that are mostly full, I find one that only has one boy in it.

"Excuse me," I say, "is this seat taken?"

"Oh, no. You can sit there if you want."

"Thanks."

"So, first year?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Same."

"What House do you want to be in?" I ask.

"Ravenclaw I reckon, like my dad. Though I wouldn't mind Gryffindor."

"I want to be in Gryffindor, like my mum. Failing that though, I'd like to be a Ravenclaw, then Slytherin, then Hufflepuff. Actually, I think Ravenclaw and Slytherin are a draw."

"Really? I've heard that Slytherin is a bad House."

"Not really, it's just that more Dark Wizards come from there than any other House. The other Houses do produce Dark Wizards though."

"Oh."

We go on talking about different things in the wizarding world, and apart from our House preference, we're pretty alike. Soon enough the trolley lady arrives, carrying lots and lots of lollies and candy.

"Do you want some uh..."

"Griff. Griff Hornby."

"Do you want any candy Griff?"

"No thanks, not hungry."

I nod, then hand over 6 silver sickles in exchange for 2 chocolate frogs.

"Thankyou dearie, oh and you might want to change into your robes boys, we're arriving soon." said the trolley lady before she disappeared to serve the next compartment.

"You sure you don't want a frog, I've got two now and you get a Famous Witch or Wizard card as well!"

"Oh, alright." says Griff, smiling as he reaches for a frog.

After stuffing the frog into my mouth, I look at my card.

"I've got Dumbledore!" I say, "who have you got?"

"Uh P..t...Ptolemy...yeah, I think that how you say it." says Griff haltingly.

"Wow, he's supposed to be really hard to get!" I exclaim, "well, we better get changed now. The trolley lady said we were close to Hogwarts." I say, looking out the window.

Griff copies me.

"Look, there it is!" He yells.

We then scramble to get changed before the train stops.


	3. Chapter 3

After scrambling into out robes and stuffing our wands in a really cool side pocket, me and Griff wait for the train to stop before jumping out of our carriage and running out to the platform.

"Firs' years over 'ear, all firs' years this way!"

I spin around to find the source of the deep voice and have to blink hard when I spot him. A giant beetle-eyed man is standing on the platform to the right of me and Griff, waving a lantern and yelling at the top of his voice.

"Look Griff, it's Hagrid! I've read about him in one of Harry Potter's bibliographies!"

"No way!" whispers Griff. "I've always been a bit of a big Harry fan."

"Me too," I say.

"Come on you lot, firs' years to the boats!" says Hagrid.

Griff and I scramble through the crowd, bashing into a fair few people, before finally catching up to Hagrid and the rest of the first years. Hagrid walks as slowly as he can while still moving, but still the rest of us have to jog to keep up. Soon we arrive at a pit of black with boats floating on it.

"Woa!" someone says, "flying boats!"

"Where, where?" asks Hagrid spinning quickly, almost knocking me and Griff in the head with his wildly spinning lantern. "Oh, you mean those boats," he says, spotting the boats everyone else spotted ages ago, "they're not flying, they're floating. On the water."

"Oh," sighs pretty much everyone, except this really tall guy with curly brown hair who says, "Duh guys, who ever heard of flying boats. Ha!" Though I'm pretty sure he thought they were flying too.

Anyway, when we all pile into the boats, I put my hand down the side and feel rather than see, that there is actually water there, it's just so black, everyone thought there was nothing there.

For the whole boat ride everyone is goggling at the Hogwarts Castle, something most of us have only dreamed about. And trust me it's way better in real life. After what seems like no time at all, the enchanted boats bump lightly against the castle pier, and everyone jumps out of their boat. We all get in a rough single line, and follow Hagrid up to the castle steps and through the doors, into the Great Hall.

As we walk closer and closer to the front of the room, butterflies start to creep into my stomach and flying around. I give a little shiver.

"What?" asks Griff.

"Just nervous. I don't want to be put in Hufflepuff."

"Oh," replies Griff, "don't worry about it, you'll go where you're meant to. Let's hope we're in the same House yeah?"

"Yeah," I say. I really want Griff in the same House as me. He's my only friend at the moment.

"Okay first years, gather around here," says an old but firm voice.

I stand up on my tiptoes to see who it belongs to, I'm short you see. After having to actually jump to see over everyone's heads, I find that the voice belongs to none other than Professor Minerva McGonagall! She must still like Sorting first years even though she's Headmistress now.

"Now when I call your name, you will come up here, sit on the stool where I will place the Hat on your head, and you will be sorted. OK? Argins, Jamie."

A tall red head boy with lots of freckles walks up slowly to the stool and sits down.

"Hufflepuff!" yells the Hat.

I clap along with everyone else, though silently I'm thinking, 'please not Hufflepuff, anything but Hufflepuff.'

Arker, Peter is sorted into Gryffindor and by that time everyone knows the drill and soon, Griff is up there. 'Go Griff,' I think, 'put him in Ravenclaw please Hat.'

There's a couple seconds of silence as the Hat ponders where to put my best friend. "Gryffindor!"

I clap along again though slightly unenthusiastic, until I see Griff's smiling face and I know he's still happy about being a Gryffindor not a Ravenclaw.

Time passes and soon my hands are red from clapping, then, suddenly, "ShadowBlade, Marcus!"

My heart gives a little jump at the sound of my name. I walk up the three steps to the stool where the Sorting Hat awaits. Professor McGonagall lifts the hat, then lowers it onto my head. The last thing I see before the Hat slips over my eyes is Griff sitting at the Gryffindor table, giving me a thumbs up. I smile, then wait. Silence. My heart races as I wait for the Hat to say something. He does.

"So, where shall I sort you? Your mother was a Gryffindor you know, all those years ago. Though I know not of your father."

"That's because he's a muggle," I think.

"I see," he says. I jump, he read my thoughts! "Let's have a look then," he continues as he shuffles through my brain.

"Ah ha!" he yells, and I jump halfway off the stool.

"What is it?" I ask, worried.

"Well, you seem to be another hard one to sort...your bright I can see...rather brave too...but there's something else...something pointing to Slytherin..." He went quiet for a while as if waiting for a response.

"Oh, well, yeah, sure. Uh, whatever you say..." I think.

"Hmmm. You're the first person to say that you know. When give the choice, most people jump for Gryffindor."

"Yes, well, Gryffindor would be nice but if you think I should go to Slytherin, then I will. I mean, not all Slytherins are bad."

"True, true...well then, I've decided."

I hold my breath. Where will I go? The sorting Hat raises its voice and yells, "Slytherin!"

I smile a little, a bit disappointed I guess. But if Slytherin is where I'm meant to be, then I'll be there and I won't complain. The Slytherin Crest magically appears on my robes over my heart as I go to sit with my fellow snakes. I'll write to my mum in the morning, I hope she won't mind I'm not in her house.


End file.
